Modular wading system

ABSTRACT

An embodiment is a wader system having an upper portion including a hood, a torso portion, and two sleeves. The wader system of an embodiment may further include a chest wader portion having a pouch into which the upper portion may be removably packed and/or stowed for convenience.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to co-pending U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/117,833 filed Nov. 25, 2008, which isincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to wading systems. More particularly, thepresent invention relates to wading pants.

BACKGROUND

Fishing, duck or other waterfowl hunting, clamming, bird watching,camping, water gardening, and other outdoor activities may be bestperformed in or around shallow rivers and streams, coastal tidal pools,marshlands, submerged fields, and the like. Further, commercialfisherman, crabbers, lobstermen, ferry operators, shipboard laborers,agriculture laborers, and industrial chemical laborers may be exposed tomyriad weather patterns including alternating periods of inclemency andcalm for which they may wish to alter the degree to which they mayprotect themselves from the elements. Each outdoor activity participantmay benefit from an all-weather clothing system. Each may furtherbenefit from an all-weather clothing system that may be altered and/ormodified to suit particular outdoor activities.

A number of devices have provided clothing systems. The followingrepresents a list of known related art:

Date of Reference: Issued to: Issue/Publication: U.S. Pat. No. 7,047,568Hofmann May 23, 2006 U.S. Pat. No. 6,668,383 Rausch et al. Dec. 30, 2003U.S. Pat. No. 6,108,815 Majerfeld Aug. 29, 2000 U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,473Andries Nov. 5, 1996 U.S. Pat. No. 5,077,838 Senser Jan. 7, 1992 U.S.Pat. No. 5,040,243 Tatsuno Aug. 20, 1991 U.S. Pat. No. 4,217,663Goldberg et al Aug. 19, 1980 U.S. Pat. No. 3,389,407 Morrison June, 1968U.S. Pat. No. 3,130,416 Mitchell et al. April, 1964 US Des. Pat D566,927Graham Apr. 22, 2008 JP 2007-327,145 Sawada et al. Dec. 12, 2007 DE10,154,129 Stein Feb. 27, 2003

The teachings of each of the above-listed citations (which does notitself incorporate essential material by reference) are hereinincorporated by reference. None of the above inventions and patents,taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe theinstant invention as claimed.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,047,568 to Hofmann issued May 23, 2006 for a “Two-partprotective suit with connecting section” discloses a two-part protectivesuit, especially for protective purposes and/or for military purposes,such as a NBC protective suit or the like, with a jacket and trousers,the jacket having a peripheral edge which overlaps the trousers and isable to be joined to the trousers. The jacket also has a peripheralconnecting section which is joined to the jacket, above the jacket edge,i.e., spaced away from the jacket edge, the connecting section and thetrousers having a connecting element so that the connecting section canbe joined to the trousers for sealed connection of the jacket totrousers.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,668,383 to Rausch, et al. issued Dec. 30, 2003 for“Hunting waders and jacket combination” discloses a waders and jacketcombination in which the waders and jacket are attached to each other.Because the waders and the jacket are attached to each other, theelements cannot get in between the waders and the jacket, i.e. above thewaders and below the jacket. Further, the combination will prevent theseparation of the waders and the jacket and the inconvenience which mayoccur (i.e. by misplacing one) from their separation. The instantinvention insures that the waders and the jacket are always together.The attachment will preferably be made by heat sealing the waders andthe jacket together. However, it is noted that any manner whichaccomplishes the attachment of the waders and the jacket is contemplatedby this invention.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,108,815 to Majerfeld issued Aug. 29, 2000 for a “Jacketwith drop down pants” discloses a convertible garment comprises a jacketand optional pants. The pants which are attached at an upper end thereofto a lower end of the jacket include a pair of flexible leg panels eachhaving adapted to be reversibly displaced between open and closedpositions, wherein, in the closed position, each leg panel forms ahollow pant leg capable of surrounding a user's leg, whereas, when theleg panels are in the open position, the leg panels can be bundled upadjacent the lower end of the jacket in a storage position of the pantssuch that the garment only acts as a jacket. A pocket is formed on theinside of the lower end of the jacket to accommodate the pants in theirstorage position.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,473 to Andries issued Nov. 5, 1996 for a “Caddyhaving a hanger means and integral to a jacket for selectivelysupporting companion pants for storage and access” discloses a caddyintegral to a jacket or other upper garment is provided for convenientlystoring and accessing companion pants or other lower garment. A panelformed of mesh net or other porous fabric or other material is joined toan inner surface of the upper garment to form a compartment forreceiving the lower garment, the compartment being sized to evenlydistribute the bulk of the lower garment over a substantial portion ofthe inner surface of the upper garment. A hanger device is provided inthe compartment for supporting the lower garment within the compartmentwhile the upper garment is being worn. The compartment is constructed toallow access to the compartment from the inside of the upper garment topermit a wearer to quickly and easily remove the lower garment from thecompartment, without removal of the upper garment.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,077,838 to Senser issued Jan. 7, 1992 for a “Convertibleouterwear garment” discloses a convertible, outerwear garment comprisinga sleeveless vest with a jacket having sleeves attached to the interiorof the vest at a pouch or pocket formed along a lower edge of thejacket. Panels at the sides of the jacket may be joined to the side ofthe pouch to complete the jacket structure. The jacket may be insertedinto a pouch pocket when the vest is worn without the jacket. The jacketmay be deployed from the pouch and the jacket sleeves inserted throughthe side openings in the vest, the jacket mode to provide addedprotection to the wearer. In this mode, the lower side panels of thejacket are secured at the side of the pouch. Another pocket may beprovided in the rear of the vest to receive a rain cape or poncho whichmay be deployed by the user for additional wet weather protection.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,243 to Tatsuno issued Aug. 20, 1991 for a “Garmentwith a covering” disclosing a garment comprising a main garment bodyhaving a sack or accommodation means on the back side thereof, and acovering normally packaged in the sack and adapted to be taken out ofthe sack and worn over the sack. The sack accommodating the covering isprovided on the back of the main garment body. The opening and closingof the sack can be easily done by the user, so that the user may takethe covering out of the sack to put it on or take off the covering andput it back in the sack as required.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,217,663 to Goldberg, et al. issued Aug. 19, 1980 for a“Vest” disclosing an outerwear garment is provided which comprises asleeveless vest having a kidney extension flap at its lower backportion. The kidney extension flap has an interior portion which definesa pouch. A jacket having sleeves is connected to the lower portion ofthe vest adjacent the pouch. The jacket may be inserted into the pouchwhen the vest is worn in a sleeveless mode without the jacket, or thejacket may be withdrawn from the pouch and the jacket's sleeves may beinserted through side openings defined by the vest.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,389,407 for “RAIN GARMENTS” to Morrison, issued June1968 discloses a lightweight, waterproof garment including connectedjacket, trousers and head covering parts and including compartments onthe jacket part into which the head covering and trousers can be placedfor storage.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,130,416 for “SPORTSMEN'S GARMENT” to Mitchell et al.issued April 1964 discloses new and useful improvements in garments, andin particular the invention concerns itself with an outer garment whichis especially adapted 10 to be worn by sportsmen, hunters, hikers,campers and others participating in outdoor sports activities, or thelike. The principal object of the invention is to provide a sportsmen'sor hunters' garment which is not only structurally arranged to protectthe wearer against the effects of various kinds of weather, but which isalso adapted to accommodate various types of sporting or huntingequipment together with whatever game may be caught. Some of theadvantages of the invention reside in its simplicity of construction,efficient and dependable use, in its versatility, and in itsadaptability to economical manufacture.

SUMMARY AND ADVANTAGES

An embodiment of the invention is a wader system comprising a chestwaders portion including a user-accessible pouch formed in lumbar regionof the chest waders and an upper portion including sleeves and a torsoportion. The upper portion may couple to the chest waders portion atleast in the lumbar region adjacent the user-accessible pouch. In anembodiment, the upper portion may be removably stowed in theuser-accessible pouch.

The wading system of an embodiment of the present invention presentsnumerous advantages, including: (1) conveniently combines waders with ajacket or other upper portion that is often concurrently worn; (2)provides a convenient storage scheme for the jacket or other upperportion within a pouch formed on or in the waders when the jacket orother upper portion is not worn; (3) provides a storage scheme for thejacket or other upper portion within a pouch formed on or in the wadersthat does not substantially compromise the waterproof characteristics ofthe waders; and (4) provides a storage scheme for the jacket or otherupper portion within a pouch formed on or in the waders that isaccessible by the user substantially without assistance.

Additional advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in thedescription which follows, and in part will be obvious from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Theadvantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of theinstrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in theappended claims. Further benefits and advantages of the embodiments ofthe invention will become apparent from consideration of the followingdetailed description given with reference to the accompanying drawings,which specify and show preferred embodiments of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of thepresent invention and, together with the detailed description, serve toexplain the principles and implementations of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows the wader system of an embodiment including an upperportion unpacked from an chest wader portion.

FIG. 2 shows the wader system of FIG. 1 with the upper portion packed inthe chest wader portion.

FIG. 3 shows a front view of the wader system of an embodiment worn by auser including the upper portion unpacked from the chest wader portion.

FIG. 4 shows a rear view of the wader system of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 shows the wader system of an embodiment including the upperportion partially unpacked from the chest wader portion.

FIG. 6 shows the wader system of an embodiment including the upperportion partially packed in the chest wader portion.

FIG. 7 shows the wader system of an embodiment including the upperportion completely packed in the chest wader portion.

REFERENCE NUMBERS USED IN DRAWINGS

Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar referencecharacters denote similar elements throughout the several views, thefigures illustrate the wader system of the present invention. Withregard to the reference numerals used, the following numbering is usedthroughout the various drawing figures:

-   -   10 wader system    -   20 upper portion    -   22 hood    -   24 torso portion    -   26 sleeve    -   30 chest wader portion    -   32 suspenders    -   34 belt    -   36 boot    -   40 pouch portion    -   42 pouch flap    -   44 pouch closure

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before beginning a detailed description of the subject invention,mention of the following is in order. When appropriate, like referencematerials and characters are used to designate identical, corresponding,or similar components in differing figure drawings. The figure drawingsassociated with this disclosure typically are not drawn with dimensionalaccuracy to scale, i.e., such drawings have been drafted with a focus onclarity of viewing and understanding rather than dimensional accuracy.

In the interest of clarity, not all of the routine features of theimplementations described herein are shown and described. It will, ofcourse, be appreciated that in the development of any such actualimplementation, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be madein order to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as compliancewith application- and business-related constraints, and that thesespecific goals will vary from one implementation to another and from onedeveloper to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such adevelopment effort might be complex and time-consuming, but wouldnevertheless be a routine undertaking of engineering for those ofordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.

An embodiment is an integrated modular wading system comprisingchest-high waders including an interconnected pull-out wader jacketstorable in a closeable pouch formed in said chest-high waders, theinterconnected pull-out wader jacket to be donned while the chest-highwaders are in use by slipping one or both hands into said closablepouch, withdrawing said interconnected pull-out wader jacket from saidclosable pouch, and slipping arms and torso into said interconnectedpull-out wader jacket.

Another embodiment is a modular all-weather clothing system comprisingan upper portion to cover a head and an upper torso, the upper portionremovably attached to a coverall portion and storable in a pouchintegral to the coverall portion.

A further embodiment is a wader system including a chest waders portionincluding a user-accessible pouch formed in lumbar region of the chestwaders, said user-accessible pouch comprising an internal pouchaccessible through an opening in the chest wader portion, and an upperportion including sleeves and a torso portion, the upper portion tocouple to the chest waders portion at least in the lumbar regionadjacent the user-accessible pouch, the upper portion to removably stowinto the user-accessible pouch.

As shown in FIGS. 1-7, a wader system 10 is provided. More specifically,wader system 10 comprises an upper portion 20 including a hood 22, atorso portion 24, and two sleeves 26. Wader system 10 further includeschest wader portion 30 into which the upper portion 20 may be removablypacked and/or stowed for convenience.

For example, FIG. 1 illustrates a user wearing the wader system 10 of anembodiment including the upper portion 20 unpacked from the pouchportion 40 formed in and/or defined by the chest wader portion 30. Thechest wader portion 30 may further include suspenders 32 and/or belt 34to substantially secure the chest wader portion 30 to the midsectionand/or torso of the user. Boots 36 may attach to, be worn over, and/orbe formed in the chest wader portion 30 adjacent to the user's feet. Theboots 36 and/or the region of the chest wader portion 30 adjacent to theboots 36 may include reinforced seams and/or surfaces to substantiallyprevent wear and water and/or debris intrusion.

When the upper portion 20 is unpacked and/or deployed from the chestwader portion 30, the user may don the upper portion 20 including thehood 22, torso portion 24, and sleeves 26 as they would normally don ajacket. The base of the torso portion 24 of an embodiment adjacent tothe user's lower back (i.e., the lumbar region of portion 24) may coupleto the chest wader portion 30. In an embodiment, the torso portion 24may attach to the chest wader portion 30 with a stitched seam, anadhesive seam, a radio frequency welded seam, an ultrasonically weldedseam, a thermally welded seam, or a combination thereof. Thesubstantially permanent attachment of the torso portion 24 to the chestwader portion 30 may increase the water and/or weather resistance of thewader system 10. The inferior edge of the torso portion 24 of anembodiment may further detachably engage to the chest wader portion 30with a zipper, hook and loop fastener system, snaps, buttons, or acombination thereof for those areas not substantially permanentlyattached to the chest wader portion. For example, the torso portion 24wrapping laterally around the user to the front of the user maydetachably engage the chest wader portion 30 at one or more points orlocations along the intersection of the torso portion 24 and chest waderportion 30. FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate an anterior and posterior view ofthe wader system 10 of an embodiment including a deployed upper portion20 including hood 22, torso portion 24, and sleeves 26.

FIG. 2 illustrates the wader system 10 with the upper portion 20 stowedin the chest wader portion 30. More specifically, FIG. 2 illustrates theupper portion 20 packed, stuffed, or otherwise inserted into pouchportion 40. Pouch portion 40 may be formed substantially on theposterior side of the chest wader portion 30 above the waist of thechest wader portion 30 (e.g., above the belt 34).

In particular, as illustrated by FIGS. 5 and 6, the pouch portion 40 maybe formed in, formed on, and/or defined by the chest wader portion 30 inthe lumbar region of the chest wader portion 30. For example, the pouchportion 40 may be a substantially independent and/or stand-alone pouchattached to the chest wader portion 30. More specifically, the pouchportion 40 may be a two or multiple ply or layer pouch including aninterior side that may contact the chest wader portion 30 and a separateexterior side that faces rearward away from the user between which theupper portion 20 may be stowed. Alternatively, the pouch portion 40 maysubstantially be a single ply or layer pouch for which the chest waderportion 30 may serve as the interior side.

For either embodiment, the pouch portion 40 may attach to the chestwader portion 30 with a stitched seam, an adhesive seam, a radiofrequency welded seam, an ultrasonically welded seam, a thermally weldedseam, or a combination thereof. The attachment of the pouch portion 40to the chest wader portion 30 may not substantially alter the waterand/or weather proofing or resistance of the chest wader portion 30material underlying the pouch portion 40.

Alternatively, the pouch portion 40 may be formed with a substantiallyinternal pouch that may be accessed through a slit or other openingformed in the chest wader portion 30. For any embodiment, the opening ofthe pouch portion 40 through which the upper portion 20 may be deployedand/or stowed may include a pouch closure 44 to substantially preventthe inadvertent deployment of the upper portion 20. The pouch closure 44of an embodiment may include a zipper, hook and loop fastener system,one or more Velcro fasteners, one or more snaps, one or more buttons, ora combination thereof. Additionally or alternatively, the opening of thepouch portion 40 may be covered at least in part by a pouch flap 42. Thepouch flap 42 may aid in the rain and/or weather resistance of the pouchportion 40 with or without a pouch closure 44.

The chest wader portion 30 and/or the upper portion 20 may be formed atleast in part from any variety of substantially waterproof material. Inan embodiment, the chest wader portion 30 and/or the upper portion 20may or may not be formed at least in part from the same substantiallywaterproof material. For example, the chest wader portion 30 and/or theupper portion 20 may be formed at least in part of vulcanized rubber,polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyurethane, silicone elastomer, neoprene,polyester, nylon, or a breathable waterproof fabric. In an embodiment,the breathable waterproof fabric may include GORE-TEX® (registered to W.L. Gore & Associates of Newark, Del.). The substantially waterproofmaterial may be laminated to one or more additional fabric layers. Forexample, the chest wader portion 30 and/or the upper portion 20 may beformed at least in part from a polyester layer (e.g., 100% polyesterwith 75D by 75D weave), a micro-porous polyurethane membrane/coatinglayer, and a nylon layer (e.g., a nylon tricot with 30D weave). Certainareas of the chest wader portion 30 and/or the upper portion 20 (e.g.,the seat and knee regions of the chest wader portion 30 and the elbowregions of the upper portion 20) may include abrasion resistant surfacesand/or reinforced or otherwise strengthened seams.

In preferred embodiment, the user may withdraw the upper portion 20 fromthe pouch portion 40 and stow the upper portion 20 in the pouch portion40 substantially without removing and/or undressing from the chest waderportion 30. For example, the pouch portion 40 may be formedsubstantially in or on the lumbar region of the chest wader portion 30.More specifically, the suspenders 32 of an embodiment may not occlude orotherwise obstruct the opening of the pouch portion 40 so that the usermay not have to remove the suspenders to access the pouch portion 40.

Starting with the upper portion 20 stowed in the pouch portion 40, auser already wearing the chest wader portion 30 may reach around theirlumbar region with one or both hands to operate the pouch closure 44 (ifpresent in an embodiment), grasp the upper portion 20, and withdraw theupper portion 20 from the pouch portion 40. The user may do sosubstantially without removing and/or undressing from the chest waderportion 30. The user may further withdraw and don the upper portion 20substantially without dropping the upper portion 20 to allow it tounfold. Accordingly, the user may withdraw and put on the upper portion20 for example while shallow wading substantially without submerging theupper portion 20. Further, if completely unfolded, the upper portion 20,given its at least partial attachment to the chest wader portion 30 inthe lumbar region, may not unfold to the ground so that a non-wadinguser may nevertheless easily unpack the upper portion 20 substantiallywithout exposing it to the ground soil and/or abrasive ground elements.To stow the upper portion 20, the user may remove and/or undress fromthe upper portion 20 and stuff or otherwise insert the upper portion 20into the pouch portion 40. The user may or may not deliberately fold theupper portion before stuffing or otherwise inserting the upper portion20 in the pouch portion 40.

Though not illustrated, the upper portion 20 may include elements to aidthe user to fold the upper portion 20 for substantially compact stowagein the pouch portion 40. For example, the hood 22, torso portion 24,and/or sleeves 26 may include pre-formed creases and/or fabric hinges toaid the user to fold the upper portion 20 for substantially compactstorage. More specifically, the pre-formed creases and/or fabric hingesmay partially or moderately direct the upper portion 20 to fold into apredetermined shape and/or configuration that may be efficientlyaccommodated by and/or fit into the pouch portion 40.

Further, the hood 22, torso portion 24, and/or the sleeves 26 mayinclude one or more hook and loop fastener systems, Velcro fasteners,snaps, buttons, or a combination thereof to substantially maintain thecompactness of upper portion 20 once folded. More specifically, the hood22, the torso portion 24, and/or sleeves 26 may include one or more hookand loop fastener systems and/or Velcro fasteners to substantiallymaintain the compactness of upper portion 20 once folded (e.g., byreleasably securing the upper portion 20 in its folded shape and/orconfiguration) and to release when the user purposefully deploys theupper portion 20.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that numerous modifications andchanges may be made to the preferred embodiment without departing fromthe scope of the claimed invention. It will, of course, be understoodthat modifications of the invention, in its various aspects, will beapparent to those skilled in the art, some being apparent only afterstudy, others being matters of routine mechanical, chemical andelectronic design. No single feature, function or property of thepreferred embodiment is essential. Other embodiments are possible, theirspecific designs depending upon the particular application. As such, thescope of the invention should not be limited by the particularembodiments herein described but should be defined only by the appendedclaims and equivalents thereof.

1. An integrated modular wading system comprising chest-high wadersincluding an interconnected pull-out wader jacket storable in acloseable pouch formed in said chest-high waders, the interconnectedpull-out wader jacket to be donned while the chest-high waders are inuse by slipping one or both hands into said closable pouch, withdrawingsaid interconnected pull-out wader jacket from said closable pouch, andslipping arms and torso into said interconnected pull-out wader jacket.2. A modular all-weather clothing system comprising an upper portion tocover a head and an upper torso, the upper portion removably attached toa coverall portion and storable in a pouch integral to the coverallportion.
 3. A wader system comprising: a chest waders portion includinga user-accessible pouch formed in lumbar region of the chest waders,said user-accessible pouch including an internal pouch accessiblethrough an opening in the chest wader portion; and an upper portionincluding sleeves and a torso portion, the upper portion to couple tothe chest waders portion at least in the lumbar region adjacent theuser-accessible pouch, the upper portion to removably stow into theuser-accessible pouch.
 4. The wader system of claim 3, theuser-accessible pouch further comprising two or more layers including aninterior layer coupled to the chest wader portion and an exterior layer,wherein the user-accessible pouch is defined between the interior layerand the exterior layer.
 5. The wader system of claim 3, theuser-accessible pouch further comprising an exterior layer coupled tothe chest wader portion, wherein the user-accessible pouch is definedbetween the chest wader portion and the exterior layer.
 6. The wadersystem of claim 3, the user-accessible pouch further comprising a pouchclosure to substantially secure the upper portion removably stowed inthe user-accessible pouch within the user-accessible pouch.
 7. The wadersystem of claim 6, the pouch closure comprising a zipper, a hook andloop fastener system, one or more Velcro fasteners, one or more snaps,one or more buttons, or a combination thereof.
 8. The wader system ofclaim 6, further comprising a pouch flap to substantially cover thepouch closure.
 9. The wader system of claim 3, the upper portion tocouple at least in part substantially permanently to the chest wadersportion with a stitched seam, an adhesive seam, a radio frequency weldedseam, an ultrasonically welded seam, a thermally welded seam, or acombination thereof.
 10. The wader system of claim 3, the upper portionto couple at least in part substantially removably to the chest wadersportion with a zipper, a hook and loop fastener system, one or moresnap, one or more buttons, or a combination thereof.
 11. The wadersystem of claim 3, the upper portion further comprising a hood.
 12. Thewader system of claim 3, the chest waders portion and the upper portionfurther comprising a substantially waterproof material.
 13. The wadersystem of claim 12, the substantially waterproof material comprisingvulcanized rubber, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyurethane, siliconeelastomer, neoprene, a breathable waterproof fabric, or a combinationthereof.
 14. The wader system of claim 3, the upper portion furthercomprising one or more pre-formed fabric creases, fabric hinges, or acombination thereof.